9.
How did the restored man learn
the identity of his Healer? John 5:
13-15.
NoTE.—"Sin
no more.
Or, 'do not go on
sinning.' Jesus directed the man's mind
from his physical well-being to his need of
spiritual hygiene. His response at Bethesda
to Jesus' injunction, 'Rise, take up thy bed,
and walk,' had been one of faith, the be-
ginning of spiritual as well as physical
health. Now Jesus' further admonition, 'Sin
no more,' implied both that his former life
had been one of sin (see DA 202) and that
those sins were forgiven."—The
Seventh-
day Adventist Bible Commentary,
on John
5:14.
10.
For what reasons did the Jews
then persecute Jesus? John 5:16, 18.
NOTE.—"A wise purpose underlay every
act of Christ's life on earth. Everything
He did was important in itself and in its
teaching. Among the afflicted ones at the
pool He selected the worst case upon whom
to exercise His healing power, and bade the
man carry his bed through the city in order
to publish the great work that had been
wrought upon him. This would raise the
question of what it was lawful to do on the
Sabbath, and would open the way for Him
to denounce the restrictions of the Jews in
regard to the Lord's day, and to declare
their traditions void."—The
Desire of Ages,
page 206.
The Father Works Through the Son
11.
What defense of His actions
did Jesus offer? John 5:17, 19, 20.
NorE.—"Jesus claimed equal rights with
God in doing a work equally sacred, and of
the same character with that which engaged
the Father in heaven. But the Pharisees
were still more incensed. He had not only
broken the law, according to their under-
standing, but in calling God 'His own Fa-
ther' had declared Himself equal with God.
John 5:18, R.V. . . .
"Jesus repelled the charge of blasphemy.
My authority, He said, for doing the work
of which you accuse Me, is that I am the
Son of God, one with Him in nature, in
will, and in purpose."—The
Desire of Ages,
pages 207, 208.
12.
To what two great powers did
Jesus then lay claim? John 5:21-23,
25-29.
NoTE.—By virtue of His Sonship, Jesus
has the power to quicken the dead, and the
authority to judge all men. "The Father
has given into the hands of the Son the
successful accomplishment of the work of
redemption. The Father has not become
man, He has not given His life to save man;
but the Son, who did become man and gave
His life for the human race, is the rightful
One to judge those who have rejected Him.
He alone knows the full power of tempta-
tion, He alone has borne the sins of the
world."—The
Seventh-day Adventist Bible
Commentary,
on John 5:22.
13.
What vital promise does Jesus
give to him who believingly hears His
word? John 5:24.
NOTE.-"With
the rich promises of the Bi-
ble before you, can you give place to doubt?
Can you believe that when the poor sinner
longs to return, longs to forsake his sins, the
Lord sternly withholds him from coming
to His feet in repentance? Away with such
thoughts! Nothing can hurt your own soul
more than to entertain such a conception of
our heavenly Father. He hates sin, but He
loves the sinner, and He gave Himself in the
person of Christ, that all who would might
be saved and have eternal blessedness in
the kingdom of
glory."—Steps to Christ,
page 54.
Thoughts for Personal Meditation
1.
How ardently do I desire deliverance
from my sins? John 5:5-9.
2.
Do my ideas of Sabbathkeeping har-
monize with Christ's? John 5:10-16.
3.
In which resurrection shall I have
part? John 5:25-29.
4.
How effectively do I hear and believe
Christ's word? John 5:24.
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